Examining the Neighborhood Attributes of Recently Housed Partner Violence Survivors in Rapid Rehousing

Charvonne N Holliday; Kristin Bevilacqua; Karen Trister Grace; Langan Denhard; Arshdeep Kaur; Janice Miller; Michele R Decker

doi:10.3390/ijerph18084177

Examining the Neighborhood Attributes of Recently Housed Partner Violence Survivors in Rapid Rehousing

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 15;18(8):4177. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18084177.

Authors

Charvonne N Holliday^{1

2}, Kristin Bevilacqua¹, Karen Trister Grace^{1

3}, Langan Denhard⁴, Arshdeep Kaur¹, Janice Miller⁵, Michele R Decker^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population, Family & Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
² Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
³ Department of Advanced Nursing Practice, School of Nursing & Health Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
⁴ Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
⁵ House of Ruth Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
⁶ Center for Public Health & Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Abstract

Survivors' considerations for re-housing following intimate partner violence (IPV) are understudied despite likely neighborhood-level influences on women's safety. We assess housing priorities and predictors of re-housing location among recent IPV survivors (n = 54) in Rapid Re-housing (RRH) in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Choropleth maps depict residential location relative to census tract characteristics (neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and residential segregation) derived from American Community Survey data (2013-2017). Linear regression measured associations between women's individual, economic, and social factors and NDI and segregation. In-depth interviews (n = 16) contextualize quantitative findings. Overall, survivors re-housed in significantly more deprived and racially segregated census tracts within their respective regions. In adjusted models, trouble securing housing (B = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.13, 1.34), comfortability with proximity to loved ones (B = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.02, 1.48), and being unsure (vs unlikely) about IPV risk (B = -0.76, 95% CI: -1.39, -0.14) were significantly associated with NDI. Economic dependence on an abusive partner (B = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.56, -0.06) predicted re-housing in segregated census tracts; occasional stress about housing affordability (B = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.75) predicted re-housing in less segregated census tracts. Qualitative results contextualize economic (affordability), safety, and social (familiarity) re-housing considerations and process impacts (inspection delays). Structural racism, including discriminatory housing practices, intersect with gender, exacerbating challenges among survivors of severe IPV. This mixed-methods study further highlights the significant economic tradeoffs for safety and stability, where the prioritization of safety may exacerbate economic devastation for IPV survivors. Findings will inform programmatic policies for RRH practices among survivors.

Keywords: health consequences; homeless persons; housing insecurity; housing instability; intimate partner violence; neighborhood deprivation; rapid rehousing; residential segregation; social determinants of health.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Baltimore
Female
Housing*
Humans
Intimate Partner Violence*
Survivors
Washington

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding